Georgia falls to Iona in overtime, 81-78

ATHENS, Ga. -- Four Georgia players scored in double-digits but it wasn't enough as the Bulldogs fell to the Iona Gaels 81-78 in overtime Saturday night at Stegeman Coliseum.

"Well, that was a tough loss," said head coach Mark Fox. "I am sick of losing like our team is. [Iona] made some big baskets to beat us so you have to give them credit for that...We missed 16 free throws from the second half on. I think that we have shot over six thousand free throws in practice. However, we have not transferred all of that practice to the games and that is very frustrating."

Georgia (2-7) shot just 20-of-37 from the free throw stripe, including 6-of-15 in the overtime period.

Georgia was led by sophomore guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope who notched his second straight double-double performance, tallying 18 points and 10 rebounds.

Junior forward Donte' Williams also picked up a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds.

Georgia grabbed a 76-75 lead with 34 seconds left in overtime off a jumper from freshman guard Kenny Gaines. Iona responded with a Curtis Dennis three-pointer seconds later and shortly after hit three critical free throws to secure the win.

Georgia took a 36-35 lead into halftime, and led by as many seven in the second half, but Iona (4-4) went on a 10-0 run midway through the half to take a 51-48 lead.

The Bulldogs took a 62-60 lead with four minutes remaining in the half off a Caldwell-Pope steal and slam, but the Gaels' Sean Armand hit a three-pointer to tie the game at 66-66 with just 54 seconds remaining. Both teams had possessions in the final minutes of regulation, but neither team could convert its final possession into points.

In overtime, Iona took advantage of Georgia's poor free throw shooting to pick up its fourth victory of the year.

The Gaels were led by Lamont Jones, one of four Gaels in double-figures, who scored 25 points.

Georgia outrebounded Iona 48-26 and got 28 points from its bench.

Georgia will host a "businessfan's special" on Tuesday, Dec. 18 when it takes on Mercer at 11:30 a.m. For ticket information, visit GeorgiaDogs.com.